Philosophers in New Orleans

By Jon Cogburn

Yet another for Ian Crystal (1966-2012)

It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.

     – Bertrand Russell

continental philosophers     
master the american flâneur pose
weary sophistication too tight clothes
slight surprised vocal overtones
of Oscar Wilde
were he unclever

outré sophisticate grace
matriculates down the space
between lake pontchartrain and gulf
which is sunk and sinking

over there the veranda screwtape spreads his fan
discourses about thing held dear
  clothes booze
  faculties move
  deconstructed food
  putdowns obtrude
  reference tv shows
  levinas blanchot derrida foucault
as the unemployed simper

one two three four
we little we came out of the lake
two three four

the talk
receptions
book fair
your interlocutors overshoulder stare
toward someone more important
someone not you

volksmarching across the lobby floor
hebephrenic bores young retinue
john sallis residue
prating
again and again and again
about van goghs shoe

and heideggers moustache lost
stolen now   
by a lederhosed pedant albatross
whose girlfriend plays the flute

  george does wonderful things with hegel
  but college stations no place to be
  ok ill e-mail you you and you copies
  simply marvelous this summer in italy
  not you nor you nor you
  pittsburgh chicago stoneybrook
  hahathatd be wonderful

   Jerusalem Athens Alexandria
    Vienna London

and away but not that far
  just outside gallatoires
diogenes sings

  standing on decatur street one day
  i was standing on decatur street one day
  didn’t have but one thin dime

two three four
the land did quiver the earth did shake
three four

analytic philosophers understand
man
is a robot
swollen bloody fingers reaching for a throat
man
a robot
indiscriminant
empty sophisticate barbarian  
both
robots

  thats anthony over there
  dont piss him off

and after the talks
  reception
  book fair
  interlocutor overshoulders glare
the open bar

three four
the earth did shiver the land did quake
three four
when we little we came out of the lake
four

so
the days hand played
assignations made
  or not
  check out that blond over there no over there
the talk the meal the drink
  shes with peter i think
assassination bade
drunk hand stayed
  or not
before sleeps final unpedantic wheeze

and just outside the cbd
  (no no no not the marigny)  
  ain’t you been to new orleeuns before
the crying whore
discourses with omnivores
like you

lurching
mouldering
blocks of cheese
canadian phenomenology
trying again and again to explain
but complains across the room
stumbling self satisfied
another empty eyed bourbon street lurch gone nowhere

  tomorrow we going to ride the natchez
  where those nudie bars you keep talking about
  where those nudie bars

in the port of amsterdam
theres a sailor who sings

understand man
is a robot

we little we

again and again and again

you can’t you must
help yourself
  i think shes asleep
drip sand
  stop just stop stop it now peter
look for a dry surface
  christ get him to his room already
drip sand

look for a dry surface

in ones own hand
the different colors drip
contours ripped
  and ripping
blue yellow red mandela spin

but the rising louisiana wind
knocks down everything
simply
ass over end

when we little we came out of the lake
the land did quiver the earth did shake
the earth did shiver the land did quake
when we little we came out of the lake

end over ass
ass over end
it falls down
it falls over
again and again and again